Mountain News & World Report

The extent of the opioid crisis in Central Appalachia is not a secret. It has been covered extensively by national media in terms of statistics and the degree to which pharmaceutical companies are to blame. However, the solutions to the problem springing up within the communities themselves, and the current ramifications of having lost a generation of community members to addiction have long been overlooked. Communities throughout the coalfields are grappling with statistically significant problems when it comes to meeting the needs of preschool and school aged youth being born to addicted parents. This episode of Mountain News & World Report takes an in depth look at the reality and the solutions being tried. Image courtesy of patrisyu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net